West China

South China tiger cub born in SW China zoo

2018-02-13 09:14:44

GUIYANG, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A South China tiger cub was born in a wild animal park in southwest China's Guizhou Province, the first cub of the endangered species successfully bred in Guizhou in four years.

The female cub, weighing 750 grams, was delivered by her mother Meng Meng at Guizhou Forest Wildlife Zoo Saturday. The cub is in good health.

In 2009, the zoo introduced four South China tigers from Shanghai and two cubs were born in 2014, one of which is the newborn's father.

Indigenous to China, South China tigers used to live across the country. However, the wild population has sharply shrunk since the 1950s due to loss of habitat, and finally disappeared. More than 100 tigers are alive and dwell in zoos or breeding bases.

Guizhou, where the last wild South China tiger disappeared, set up the country's first breeding base for the species in the 1960s, with 12 local wild tigers, according to Ran Jingcheng with the provincial wildlife administration.

From 1963 to 1970, about 60 cubs were born at the base, with more than 30 surviving. In 2005, Lin Lin, the last South China tiger at the breeding base died aged 30.